We'll Always Have Paris
by shannigansx
Summary: A home isn't something you can just create out of the blue. It's where you can find the people you love. Post S5. LL.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Huge thanks to Heather and Kelsey for being such amazing betas!_

Lorelai sat sipping her coffee at Le Grillon. She grimaced as the strong bitter liquid made its way down her throat. "It's nothing like Luke's coffee," she thought before silently cursing herself for comparing the two drinks. She wasn't even drinking regular coffee. She believed that pressed espresso was the English translation. It was strong, not as satisfying, but she had grown tired of trying to find a decent cup of coffee. Anything with caffeine would have to do.

She had already finished her dinner. Yet another dinner where she tried politely to decline the endless supply of baguette bread that appeared on her table wherever she dined. At least three times a day, every day, she ate that bread. If she could go a whole year without eating or even seeing another baguette, it would still not be enough time. The still full basket had finally been whisked away when the waiter returned with her espresso.

She put down the small cup and looked across the Cours Mirabeau. The remnants of the market that was held there every Saturday were long gone. The proprietors had packed everything up, the paintings and the sculptures; all the lovely things Lorelai looked at every Saturday morning were all gone. Lorelai had toyed with buying her daughter a beautiful painting of a sunrise over the Cote d'Azur, but she had quickly dropped her fingers from the delicate canvas when she remembered that she couldn't even pick up the phone to call Rory. A gift was certainly out of the question.

A quick glance at her watch told Lorelai that it was time to make her way back to her hotel room. She never spent much time there, only returning when it was time to make her nightly call to Luke.

Luke.

Just the thought of his name brought a smile to her face. Everyone thought she was crazy for calling him every night. She went through practically a whole phone card every few days, but it was worth it. He was her only connection to the life she had left behind. Or put on hold, as she thought of it.

In all actuality, it wasn't even her idea to leave. It was Luke's. After everything that had happened with Rory, after her hasty proposal in his diner, he had convinced her that her "mulling" was for a reason. He didn't decline her proposal, nor accept. He just told her that she wasn't ready for his answer. And so, after many heartfelt conversations, tears, and promises, she finally relented. Before she knew what was happening, she was calling Mike Armstrong to request a trial period with the Durham Group. Soon afterwards, she was on a plane to Paris and then another shorter flight to Marseille Provence Airport. A short train ride later and she had arrived at her destination – Aix-en-Provence.

Aix-en-Provence was small. Not as small as Stars Hollow, but nowhere near as large as Paris. It was a prime location for her consulting work. All Lorelai had to do was hop on a train, and she could be in Cannes or Nice in a blink of an eye. Or, she could head in the other direction and be in Avignon in nearly the same time. But mostly, she remained in this small college town.

She was enjoying it. In a few months' time, she had finally stopped making a complete and utter fool of herself as she tried to order a cup of coffee. Her French left nothing to be desired, but she knew a handful of key phrases and could order her meals sufficiently - enough to get by if no one around her spoke a word of English. At the very least, all of her meetings were held in English, much to her relief.

Lorelai paused briefly to look down the street at The Great Fountain in La Rotonde, the circle that the Cours Mirabeau spilled into. If she turned in the other direction, she would see King René's Fountain. Soon after arriving, she had quickly learned why Aix was called "The City of Fountains".

She enjoyed this time of evening. The city had finally calmed from the influx of tourists it received during the day. She could hear the gentle splash of the water hitting the surface as it spluttered out of the extravagant fountains. Shortly, the area would no doubt be cluttered with university students as they headed out to the cafés and bars. She took another deep breath of the crisp late summer air before walking the remaining way to her hotel.

Upon arriving in her room, she dropped her purse and hotel key on the dresser. Grabbing the phone and her calling card, she kicked off her shoes and sprawled out on the bed. She ignored the indistinguishable words the operator said, informing her in fast French how to use the phone card. She had learned to just wait until the recording stopped and then dial Luke's number.

She didn't have to wait long for him to answer. He always picked up on the first ring, knowing that she was the one calling. She smiled as he answered gruffly. She loved hearing his voice. It brought instant relief to her tense shoulders. "Hey," she replied softly. "Rough day?"

A short laugh immediately greeted her through the phone. "Nah, it hasn't been too bad. I was just trying to get Kirk to leave, because I knew you'd be calling."

She heard a muffled noise, chuckling at the mental picture forming in her head. "Tell Kirk I said hi." She heard more muffled voices and finally the soft jingling of the bell over the diner door. "You alone?" she asked.

"Finally," he answered. "So how was your meeting this morning?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, you know. Same old thing. Kind of boring actually."

"You loved every minute of it."

"You know I did." Lorelai felt her cheeks turn red as she blushed over how well Luke knew her. He could tell exactly how she was feeling just from her words. Even when she tried to cover up a bad day, he could see through her steady voice. "But I'm going to be so bored this weekend. I have no meetings scheduled from Thursday afternoon until Monday afternoon. One of the girls from the group suggested I go to Paris for the weekend."

There was a long pause at the other end.

"Luke?" Lorelai finally breathed after a few moments of silence.

"You should go."

It seemed like his voice had floated to her over the line. She didn't recognize his tone. "What?"

"I mean it. You should go. You've been talking about how you'd like to spend some time in Paris since you got there. Now's your chance. You should take it," he said more evenly.

She nodded slowly in agreement. "I should. Someone should be able to help me arrange a flight up there. I don't want to spend that long on a train."

"You should go to the Eiffel Tower." After a few seconds he added, "At sunset. I hear it's beautiful at that time."

"Aww... Luke, you softy," Lorelai cooed.

"Promise me, Lorelai," he insisted. "Promise me you'll go."

"I will," she stuttered, surprised at his insistence.

"I'll want to hear all about it," Luke said as if sensing her hesitance. "Buy me a postcard."

Lorelai laughed. She had sent him a postcard for practically every day that she had been gone. "You only want one?" she joked. She heard him laugh at the other end of the line. It made her feel at home. He felt so close to her even though an ocean separated them. She snuggled into her pillow. "So what's going on in Stars Hollow? Kill Taylor yet?"

She spent the rest of the evening talking to him. It reminded her of the previous summer where her only contact with him had been over the phone. It was strange that over a year later, their relationship was once again reduced to phone calls. Despite this, each phone call was always the highlight of each day. Every night, when she returned the phone to its cradle, her day finally felt complete. However, every night, the soft ache in her chest seemed to grow more difficult to ignore. Tonight was no different. She sighed outwardly as she burrowed into the bed. She pulled the pillow close to her, partly wishing it was Luke that she was cuddling into.

At least she now had Paris to look forward to.

To Be Continued. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Thanks to all the wonderful feedback! (shamelessOne: I can speak French, and I too ignored the French person on the phone cards like Lorelai did. It's too hard to understand!)_

_Once again, huge thanks to my betas Heather and Kelsey. I couldn't have done this without them._

The days leading up to her Thursday flight to Paris were a blur for Lorelai. She had back-to-back meetings scheduled most days. When she wasn't stuck inside a stuffy conference room the entire day, she was out in the field, visiting the local hotels and inns. She began to feel relieved that she had planned her little vacation. Her body was beginning to protest the long hours she forced it through, and a weekend of relaxation and of course, shopping, was just what she needed.

The only reprieve she felt was her conversations with Luke each night. In her last phone call to him, Lorelai felt almost giddy as she told Luke her plans for the weekend. He had laughed and warned her to be careful of all the Pedros in the big city. She had assured him that he had nothing to worry about since she wasn't traveling to Spain, but her French boyfriend Pierre would be waiting for her under the Eiffel Tower. She could just picture the exasperated look Luke would have on his face and had broken out in a fit of giggles.

Finally, on Thursday, she arrived at Charles de Gaulle in the late afternoon. Not feeling in the mood to deal with the trains, she climbed into a taxi and told the driver the address of her hotel.

She rested her head against the window and stared out at the passing buildings which slowed as they hit traffic. Lorelai mentally kicked herself. The trains would have been faster if she had considered how bad the traffic surrounding Paris would be. She watched as motorcycle after motorcycle zoomed through the creeping cars. "I need to get myself one of those," she thought.

At last, after what seemed like hours, the taxi stopped in front of her hotel. She quickly paid, thanked the driver, and made her way into the hotel.

Once she checked into the hotel and dropped her bag off, Lorelai felt a rumbling in her stomach. Also in dire need of caffeine, she quickly found a café and ordered herself a sandwich and coffee.

She watched the passing men and women as they hurried home after a long day's work. She admired the outfits of the stylish women, mentally noting some of the pieces that she should look for in the stores.

Some of the Parisians stopped at the café, greeting their acquaintances with a kiss on both cheeks. She glanced around the tiny restaurant. Realizing that she was the only one sitting alone, she soon felt out of place. The ache she felt every night after talking to Luke returned full force. This entire weekend, she would be alone. Eating, shopping, going to the museums, everything would be done alone. She blinked away her unshed tears before they could destroy her carefully applied makeup. That's just what she would need to blend in. Raccoon eyes.

After finishing her dinner, Lorelai didn't remain for her usual additional cup of coffee. Instead, she hurriedly made her way back to her hotel. Once inside her room, she grabbed the phone and dialed Luke, desperately needing to hear his voice. The sounds of his answering machine filled the line. Disappointed, she hung up.

Wiping away the tears that once again filled her eyes, she stepped out onto the tiny balcony. She could see the Eiffel Tower from where she stood. "Nice connections that Durham Group has," she thought. She leaned against the metal railing and watched the sunset, the sky filled with brilliant shades of orange.

Long after the lights of nightfall blinked on, she stayed on the balcony lost in her thoughts. The sounds of night engulfed her as she stood silently, observing the nightlife come alive. She was finally jarred from this state by the ringing of the phone.

Lorelai smacked her leg against the open balcony door in her hurry to reach the phone. Rubbing the assaulted limb, she breathlessly answered. "Hello."

"You okay?" he asked with genuine concern.

She smiled, instantly feeling better at the sound of his voice. "I'm okay, but I think that the balcony door has something against me. It practically reached out and grabbed my leg as I went by," she joked. "It's like something straight out of _The Haunting_. Do you think it's mad at me for keeping it open so long? "

"Yes, I'm sure the door is capable of human emotions and actions," Luke agreed. "Did you ask it what was wrong?"

Lorelai held her hand against her chest with a look of shock. She gasped. "You would mock me in a time like this? That door may very well kill me in my sleep. I'm going to have to sleep with one eye open. And let me tell you, that is not an easy task to accomplish."

Ignoring her comments, he changed the subject. "How was your flight?"

"Gee, that's pretty much akin to asking 'how's the weather?'," she replied dryly.

"You're the one going on about a door attacking you in your sleep," he reminded her gently. "I was just trying to get you to shut up. And since my usual way of kissing you to accomplish that is pretty much impossible at the moment..."

Lorelai immediately softened her tone. "Sorry. My flight was fine. It just that... I, well... I, uh, never mind."

"Hey. What's wrong?"

She knew she wouldn't have gotten her last comment by him unnoticed. His voice was dripping with concern for her. She sighed softly. Might as well just tell him the truth she urged herself. He'd see through anything else. "I miss you," she whispered. "It's so hard watching everyone else have a good time while I'm sitting here all alone." The tears were now flowing freely after being held back all evening. "I can't stand eating alone while the table next to me is laughing over God knows what. It doesn't matter. They're the ones laughing, and I'm not."

He remained silent for a moment. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have encouraged you to go to Paris."

She sniffed. "It's not your fault. It's the same way in Aix. It's just then I have some kind of work to distract me. There's always something that needs to be done."

"I wish that I could be with you right now," he paused for a moment as if contemplating his next words. Then continuing as if changing his mind, "I'd kiss away your tears in an instant. And, I'd kick that damn door for you," he added. "Keep it in its place."

She laughed through her tears. "I know you would." She felt exhausted. Her mind was tired and beginning to ache from her crying. "I don't want to say goodbye, but my body feels like its going to collapse any minute now."

"Get some rest. Try to enjoy yourself tomorrow."

"I will. I'm in Paris. All of these lovely stores will be calling my name!" she exclaimed. "My credit card will be more exhausted than me tomorrow."

He chuckled. "I don't doubt that. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you, Lorelai."

"I love you, too," she replied softly before hanging up.

She readied for bed, and then crawled under the stiff covers. She felt immensely better after hearing Luke's voice and soon drifted off to sleep.

To Be Continued... Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! You all are awesome!_

Lorelai had decided to skip the breakfast at the hotel, complete with its endless supply of baguette bread and opted for a quiet outdoor café instead. She quietly sat, chewing her croissant as she debated what she should do with her day.

She could go to a museum. Paris had plenty of those. When she and Rory had stayed in Paris two years ago, the look on Rory's face had been priceless. It was like heaven on Earth for her. They had spent an entire day at the Louvre. Rory remained unfazed by all the tourists as she pushed her way through to see works such as the Mona Lisa and Venis de Milo. It hadn't taken long for Lorelai to find a café inside the monstrosity of a museum as her daughter continued to peruse the galleries. She was nursing her third cup of coffee when Rory finally returned to her, exclaiming that she had found just the thing her mother would love. Lorelai reluctantly followed her, straight to the museum gift shop where she had a fun time picking out cheesy souvenirs for their friends. Her daughter knew her so well.

Lorelai frowned at the memory. Museums really weren't her thing. They were Rory's. When the two of them were together, it had been enjoyable simply watching her daughter's reactions.

She missed her. "We really do make quite the pair," she thought to herself. Last summer, Rory had come to Europe to get away from her. This year, here she was. Why couldn't things be like they were two years ago? They both had the time of their lives here in Europe. Together. They weren't apart for more than a few moments at a time. Oh, how things had changed. Now, they were worlds apart, and not just literally.

Realizing that she had long ago polished off the rest of her croissant, Lorelai quickly made up her mind to spend the day shopping. She'd wear out her credit card just like she had told Luke the night before. How many times was a girl in the fashion capitol of the world? She smiled. How could she not take advantage of that?

Hours later, Lorelai entered her hotel room, practically tripping over all the bags that she was carrying. She was going to have a great time trying to get all of this stuff back to Aix, not to mention back home. She could always ship some of it home if worse came to worse.

The room felt stuffy from being closed up all day, so she opened the door to the balcony. The cool breeze felt refreshing against her sticky skin. The cooler air meant that evening would soon be approaching. "Another night of sitting in my hotel room alone," she said to no one. "I really am turning into a spinster. I should have bought some yarn to knit some tea cozies. And maybe lured one of those stray cats home with me."

Her gaze swept over the busy city before stopping on the Eiffel Tower. She stared at it for a few minutes. "Oh, what the hell? You only live once. What's the point of doing it alone in a hotel room?"

She changed out of the jeans and tank top that she had worn the entire day and pulled on her black dress. She figured that maybe after stopping at the Eiffel Tower, she'd go out to a bar or two. Or maybe dancing. Dancing would be fun. It would at least keep her mind off things.

She headed off to the nearest Metro station. Thank God that Rory had taught her how to do this the last time. She grabbed herself a map, and plotted a course to the Tower.

It seemed like no time at all before she found herself stepping out of the Champ de Mars station. Ha! Made it in one try, she praised herself.

She only had to walk a few minutes before finding herself right at the base of the Eiffel Tower. She felt her heart beat faster. Even though she had been here once before, the monument still amazed her. It felt surreal. It was like watching one of the many movies where the characters found themselves in this very place.

Lorelai took a deep breath and made her way past the photographing tourists and the gypsies trying to make a quick buck. Where was that place? At last her gaze fell upon it. The snack stand. She hurried over and bought a cone with strawberry ice cream.

She found an empty bench where she could enjoy her treat. The Tower was already lit for the impending darkness. She couldn't wait for the glittering lights. Looking at her watch, she noticed that she still had time to spare. She would wait for it.

After finishing up her cone, she wandered around, trying to find the best place for her view of the lights. Not the easiest mission to accomplish seeing as from any spot at this close distance, she would have to crane her neck up to see. Oh, well. It would have to do.

Glancing at her watch, she noticed that there were only a few minutes to the hour. She wasn't the only one awaiting the lights. Other tourists were staring at the Eiffel Tower with eager expressions. With a smile, she joined them by gazing up at the giant beauty right in front of her. Any moment now. Once again, Lorelai could feel her heart beat pick up pace in anticipation.

At long last, the glittering lights began to twinkle before her eyes. She felt a sense of awe overcome her. It was one of the most magical things that she had ever seen.

She was so lost in the magnificence of it all that she hadn't notice someone step up behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt arms encircle her waist. But then, she heard his voice.

"I was hoping that you'd come," he whispered in her ear.

To Be Continued. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: I wasn't planning on updating today, but because of all of your wonderful reviews (and near panic attacks), I found time to come home to post. And I also want to send out a huge thanks to Heather for her help on the end of this chapter. I couldn't have done this without her!_

_And in answer to psychoanalyst's question, there will be no Rory._

Lorelai relaxed into his arms for a moment, relishing the feeling of being wrapped inside of them. Oh, how she missed this feeling. She almost threw him off balance as she suddenly turned around and flung her arms around him. "God, I missed you," she said before pressing her lips against his.

Luke instantly returned the kiss, pulling her tightly against him.

She couldn't get enough of him. She was like an addict, and he was her drug of choice. This was better than coffee. So much better. Reluctantly, she broke the kiss. "It's not that I'm not happy to see you, because baby, believe me, happy doesn't even begin to cover it. But what are you doing here?" she asked breathlessly.

"I needed to see you. I was going crazy without you. You drive me insane when you are around, but apparently, it's a lot worse when you're gone."

She smiled at him. "Were the people in the white jackets coming for you?"

"They were just one step away."

"But Luke, you don't even have a passport. You were in full rant mode when you told me that it was a useless thing that was just one more way for the government to rip us off," she reminded him.

"I applied for it the day you left. My biggest fear was that something would happen to you, and I wouldn't be able to come, because I didn't have that damn thing."

"And then, you decided to surprise me?"

"There were so many times that I was tempted to come visit you, but I didn't want to distract you from your work. But then, you told me about this little break..." he trailed off.

"What would have happened if I had decided not to come here?"

"I sat here for hours last night, waiting for you. That was when I realized that maybe I hadn't thought this plan through fully." He paused for a moment to brush a stray piece of her away from her face. "I almost told you last night. You were so upset, and I could have been right there. But I decided to wait one more night to see if you'd come."

"And here I am."

He kissed her forehead. "Here you are. I was wondering if I'd spend another night searching you out. When I saw you over there," he pointed to the bench where she had been sitting, "eating your ice cream. But now I'm feeling pretty stupid."

"Why's that?" Her breath caught in her throat, worried that he regretted coming here.

"If I had told you the truth last night, we would have had an entire day together already."

She gently kissed him. "I liked the element of surprise. Now, you can say that you swept me off my feet under the Eiffel Tower. I'm like Katie Holmes without all the "Free Katie" t-shirts." Lorelai giggled as Luke rolled his eyes at her. Some things would never change. "You, Luke Danes, are a romantic. Wait until I tell everyone. I'm sure Miss Patty and Babbette will be very proud."

"Aww... jeez, Lorelai," he warned. Yet a smile remained on his face. He had missed her teasing.

"However, sneaking up on a girl like that in the middle of Paris? Not such a good idea. You nearly scared me to death."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. He ran his hand up and down her back, feeling the soft material of her black dress. "So was the dress for me or for Pierre?"

She jokingly punched his arm. "Well, mister, it's just your luck. Pierre just happens to be out of town this weekend." She gave him a seductive smile. "I'm all yours."

"What are your plans for tonight? You're all dressed up for something."

She stepped away from him in mock anger. "Has it been that long? Have I lost all my sexual powers over you? You finally have me right in front of you, and you're asking me what I have planned? My plans went out the window a long time ago."

He pulled her back against him, pressing his body firmly against hers. "You already got that dress working for you. You know what it does to me. Add that hair twirl, and you know I'll do anything for you."

She flipped her hair. "You mean this?" She could already feel his lips brushing against her neck. He kissed a particularly sensitive spot, and a moan escaped her lips. "My hotel isn't too far from here," she murmured into his ear.

He grudgingly pulled away and grasped her hand in his own. "Lead the way," he said with a tone of urgency

"Somebody's in a hurry," Lorelai stated.

"Like you said, it's been months. And I'll definitely make it worth your while," he promised, letting his free hand graze across her bare neck.

She shivered from his light caress. "This way." She yanked him in the direction of the Metro station.

"By the way, what were you doing before? You were walking around with your neck craned like a giraffe. You looked ridiculous."

"I was trying to find the perfect view of the Tower before it lit up," she said matter-of-factly.

"Of course."

It took them awhile, too long in Lorelai's opinion, to arrive back at the hotel. It surely hadn't taken that long to get to the Eiffel Tower. Had it? She shrugged away her thoughts now that she finally had Luke back with her at the hotel. "Tada!" she announced as they entered her room.

Luke walked around the room. "It's nice," he told her. "The room I stayed at last night was a piece of crap, and I'm pretty sure there was something growing there." He stopped at the balcony door and pulled it open. "Beautiful view."

"Thanks, Carson." She joined him at the door. "I stood out here for hours yesterday." She slipped out onto the balcony. "The whole city looks different when you look at it from here. Look how tiny the Eiffel Tower looks from here." She waved him over. "Come join me."

Luke, on the other hand, remained standing there admiring the way her dress clung to her body. He leaned against the balcony door. "I kind of like the view from here."

She glanced over her shoulder, blushing as she saw his gaze roaming over her body. He could still make her feel like butterflies were fluttering around her stomach. "I'd be careful there if I was you," she said gesturing to the door he was leaning against.

"This the door that accosted you last night?" He pushed it with his fingertips. "It doesn't seem so dangerous to me."

"Well, don't blame me when it swings back and hits you in the ass," she teased. "I warned you."

He reached out and pulled her back towards him. "Have I told you enough that I love you?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him. "Every single night."

He tilted his head down and caught her lips with his own. He felt her pushing him towards the bed as he opened his mouth to her. He gently pulled her down on top of him as the back of his knees hit the bed. "That's definitely not enough." He brushed his lips behind her ear, gently nibbling the sensitive skin there, eliciting a soft moan from Lorelai. "I love you," he whispered.

She smiled as she pulled her dress over her head. She trailed light kisses along his jaw line, her hands working to undo the buttons of his shirt. "I love you too," she said before seeking out his mouth with her own.

Seconds, minutes, possibly hours went by. Neither knew how long, and neither cared. All that mattered was each other. And Lorelai realized that for the first time in three months, her heart didn't ache. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel the weight of a vast ocean between herself and Stars Hollow. Because in a hotel bed in Paris making love to Luke, for the first time in months, she was home.

To Be Continued. Please Review!


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Thank you for all the feedback. You are all such amazing readers, and I cannot thank you enough. Here's the next part. Enjoy!_

Lorelai felt the soft rays of morning warming her body as she awoke. It took only a few seconds for the previous night's events to come rushing back to her. Briefly, she feared that it had all been a dream, but then the rest of her senses began to awaken. She felt her lips curve into a smile. Her legs were entangled in his, and she could feel his fingers gently tracing patterns on her bare hip. She let her eyes flutter open and found him staring at her.

He grinned when he saw that she was indeed awake. "Good morning, beautiful," he said before lightly kissing her lips.

"How long have you been staring at me?"

His hand was roaming lazily across her back. "I wouldn't call it staring. I was watching you sleep. I forgot how quiet you could be when you're sleeping."

She smacked his chest playfully. "Is that a crack at my talkative nature?" She shrugged. "All right then."

"I've missed waking up beside you," Luke offered. "My apartment was too quiet without you demanding coffee first thing in the morning. And don't I sound like some sappy, sentimental fool," he added.

She snuggled closer to him. "It's nice. This is nice." She was quiet for a few moments, enjoying the comfortable silence between them. "Hey, Luke?"

"Hmm?" he murmured into her hair.

"I need coffee," she informed him. She could feel his chuckling rustling her hair. "You know that I can't function without it."

"And I suppose that I'm the one who has to go get you coffee?" he asked, sitting up.

Lorelai shook her head. "We could go get some breakfast. I am starving!" she announced.

"What else is new?"

"Oh, come on, admit it! You missed me and my impossible eating habits."

"No one else orders two pieces of pie in one sitting. Well, Kirk did that once, but he ended up turning green from eating too much."

"You have me naked in bed, and you're talking about Kirk. Is there something I should know-" she began to tease.

Luke leaned down to kiss her. Immediately, she was quiet. "Still works," he commented.

She pulled him down to her for another kiss, quickly deepening it. "How important is this breakfast to you?"

"It was your idea," he reminded her.

As if on cue, her stomach growled. She laughed. "I guess we'll have to save this for later."

He gave her one last chaste kiss. "You can count on that."

They both quickly showered and dressed. They decided that they'd get breakfast somewhere near her hotel, and then head over to the place Luke stayed the night before to gather his things. After that, Lorelai was going to show Luke Paris.

She was talking excitedly about the things she wanted to show him while munching on her omelet. A strong breeze blew her hair into her face, and Lorelai struggled to pull it back. Luke was looking at her with an amused expression as he watched her fighting her wild hair. "What?" she asked.

He raised his hands. "Don't look at me. You're the one who insisted on eating outside like we're hoodlums."

The wind finally settled down, letting Lorelai smooth her hair out. "Look around us, Luke, everyone is eating outside. It's French."

He snorted. "The French are crazy."

"And so am I. That must be why we get along so great together," she joked. "This is nice, Luke. Trust me. Besides, it's not like we're eating on the ground," she tried to reason with him.

He reluctantly agreed. "I guess." She looked so happy, practically glowing. "You really love this, don't you? Being here."

Lorelai didn't answer him. She just continued smiling at him. The truth was that she was happy here, but something had always been missing. She knew what it was... Luke. But he was here now, sitting right in front of her. She didn't have to sit and eat alone like all the other days. All she had to do was reach out, and she could touch him. Silently, she placed her hand over his.

They finished their meal and headed to Luke's hotel. His room was dark, and it appeared that the walls were molded.

She gingerly picked up a blanket between her fingers and held it far away from her body. "Are you sure that only one thing is growing in here? It doesn't look like it's been cleaned since Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart were in Paris together."

"It was a cheap room," he stated, ignoring her comment. "I was kind of hoping that I wouldn't have to stay here at all."

She tossed the blanket on the floor. "I sure hope that you showered before coming to see me."

"Twice," he assured her as he zipped up his suitcase. "Ready?"

"Oh! Luke! I think that something is moving over there. Under that blanket!" she cried.

"Lorelai, it is not that bad here," he stated. However, he still turned to where she had thrown the blanket. Sure enough, the blanket shifted on its own accord. "Let's go," he said, ushering her out of the room.

Once out on the street, Lorelai shuddered. "I need a shower."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I thought that you wanted to show me Paris?"

They returned to her hotel to drop off Luke's suitcase, and after much insisting from Lorelai, they both showered and put on fresh clothes. Luke had been wearing a button-down dress shirt from the night before, but now he was wearing his usual attire, a flannel shirt.

Lorelai ran her hands over the soft material. She had missed the feel of it. "You're really going to blend in on the streets of Paris. I think the lumberjack look went out of style here a long time ago." She furrowed her brow in thought. "Come to think of it, it probably was never in style here. What would Louis Vuitton think if he saw you? He'd probably have us kicked out of the country."

"Hopefully, it won't come to that." He fiddled with the buttons of his shirt. "If you really want me to, I could change. I brought other shirts."

He moved to go back to his suitcase, but she caught his arm. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his chest. The soft fabric caressed her cheek. "Don't. Who cares what Louis Vuitton, or anyone else for that matter, will think? Personally, I love this look." She looked up at him. "It's part of the whole Luke appeal." She pulled away. "Just one thing is missing." She rummaged through his suitcase until she found the familiar item. She held it up in triumph. "Found it!"

He took the baseball cap from her grasp and placed it backwards on his head. "Is the look complete?"

She nodded. "I think so."

Lorelai ushered Luke through as much as Paris as she could. Because of her trip with Rory, she knew the "must-sees", and she wanted to show him as many of them as possible.

They made quite the pair as they walked down the streets of the immense city. She was bubbly, talking a mile a minute, and practically jumping up and down with glee every time she showed Luke something. On the other hand, he was gruff, quiet, constantly rolling his eyes at the things his girlfriend said and did, and yet he almost always had a small smile on his face, just for her.

Lorelai was also playing the part of hyper tourist as she snapped an endless amount of pictures of Luke, or approached other tourists to take a picture of the two of them together. Luke eventually threatened to push both her and the camera into one of the fountains at Place de la Concorde if she didn't get the camera out of his face. She told him that he wouldn't dare do that, but she reluctantly tucked the camera away anyway.

They had been out for hours when Luke suggested that they return to the hotel.

"But I'm starving," she argued. "I need sustenance." Then, spotting a street vendor, she exclaimed, "Ooh! Crêpes!"

He grabbed her arm, stopping her before she could make her way over to the vendor. "I thought that we could go back and change, and then, I was going to take you out."

Lorelai smiled at the thought. "A romantic dinner?"

He grinned slyly. "Maybe."

She pulled him close and gently kissed him.

Before Luke knew what was happening, she had stepped away and was heading towards the stand. "What are you doing?"

"I just need something to take the edge off," she shouted over her shoulder. "Don't you worry, hun, there will still be plenty of room in what you call my bottomless pit." She returned shortly with her hand wrapped around the delicious treat. She had already begun to eat it, and a small amount of chocolate had dribbled down her chin. She held it out to Luke. "Want some?"

He wiped the escaped chocolate off her face with his thumb. "What the hell is that thing?"

"It's a crêpe with chocolate and bananas." He was giving her a look of disgust. "Bananas are healthy," she reasoned with him. She took another bite. "Come on, just try it. One bite will not kill you." She held up the crêpe so that it was inches away from his mouth.

He put his hand over hers as he leaned forward and took a small bite. She was giving him an expectant look so he said, "It's not that bad."

She finished the rest of her dessert long before they arrived back at the hotel.

Luke changed quickly and waited for Lorelai to come out of the bathroom. He was beginning to get impatient, ready to complain, when she finally walked out. His breath caught in his throat. She was stunning. A gorgeous satin green sundress accentuated her curves and went well with her bright blue eyes and dark hair. She had managed to tame her curls from the humid weather they had faced all day. His gaze traveled the length of her body, taking her all in.

He remained silent for quite a bit of time, so Lorelai spoke first. "I take the stunned silence to mean that you like it."

Her voice brought him back down to earth. "You look amazing," he said as he embraced her. "A part of me is a little nervous as to why you packed a dress like this."

"Are you jealous that someone else might have been seeing me in this dress instead of you?" she teased. Luke did not look amused. "I bought the dress yesterday. Who knew it would come in handy so soon? It must have been fate that told me to buy it."

"I'm not going to argue with that." He ran his hands down her sides. "As long as I'm the one who gets to take it off, I don't care when or why you bought it."

"Why, Luke Danes, you're awfully sure of yourself!" she exclaimed as he grabbed her hand and led her out of the room.

The entire cab ride, Lorelai pestered Luke about where they were going, but he refused to tell her. After what seemed like forever to her, the car stopped at the end of a side street off the Champs Elysées. She looked around, but didn't see anything of interest. "Here?" she questioned.

Luke paid the driver, got out of the cab, and came over to open her door. "We're going to walk the rest of the way," he told her as he took her hand. She gave him a confused look, but allowed him to lead her onto the Champs Elysées. "I was trying to think of the perfect place to take you. I thought about taking you to a little French restaurant, but you are very picky sometimes, and I didn't want to hear you complain about it." She opened her mouth to protest, but he continued before she could say anything. "But when we were out walking here earlier, I saw the perfect place."

A thought popped into her head as he said that. "You're not taking me to McDonald's are you?"

He shook his head. "Only you would eat at a place like that." They continued down the street a little ways when he finally stopped in front of Planet Hollywood. "Here."

She clapped her hands together and jumped up and down like a giddy child. "Really, Luke!"

He nodded. "I know we have these back in the U.S., but something told me that you'd love to go here."

She threw herself into his arms. "You're the best," she said with a kiss.

The two of them spent the entire evening talking and laughing together. Lorelai looked at all the movie memorabilia excitedly, and tried to explain to Luke why each piece was so important. He rolled his eyes at her, but he loved watching her enthusiasm.

After their meals and the two desserts Lorelai insisted they ordered, they returned outside to the famous street.

Lorelai shivered when the cool night air hit her exposed skin. Instantly, Luke's arms enveloped her, trying to bring her warmth. She turned in his embrace so that she was facing him. "You are going to get very lucky tonight, mister," she promised.

"Is that so?" he said, leaning into her.

"You bet," she finished before capturing his lips. She deepened the kiss almost immediately as he pulled her closer. The world around her began to disappear as she felt Luke's hands begin to roam over her body and through her hair. She didn't care that they were standing in the middle of a heavily populated street, necking like a couple of teenagers for everyone to see, as long as she was with him.

She stood on her tiptoes in order to reach him better. At once, one of his hands settled at the small of her back to support her.

And suddenly, Luke was the only thing she was aware of.

To Be Continued. Please Review!


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews! They mean so much to me! Here's another longer part like the last one. Enjoy!_

Lorelai slowly came out of her peaceful slumber. Her body was haphazardly strewn across Luke's. She barely remembered making it back to the hotel the previous night. The two of them were eager to return to her room and could not keep their hands to themselves the entire way. The cab driver had seemed annoyed by them until Luke paid and quickly rushed off with Lorelai, not even bothering to wait for his change.

With her head against his chest, she could hear the steady beating of his heart. His fingers were tangled in her hair as he tenderly drew them through it. She shifted so that her chin was resting against his chest in order to look at his face. She smiled at him. "How is it that you're always up before me?" She stifled a yawn.

"Years of getting up before the crack of dawn," he answered as he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her up for a kiss. "How else would I always have coffee ready and waiting for you at the diner?"

"The coffee that I have to practically beg you for," she remarked sarcastically. "Mmm... coffee. I need coffee."

Chuckling, he reminded her, "You always need coffee."

"Need coffee to function," she responded.

"Well, the faster you function your clothes on, the faster we can go get you coffee."

Sitting up in bed, she looked at him with mock anger. "Why, Luke, are you trying to get my clothes on? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"I don't recall really having to try to get you out of your clothes," he teased, playfully tickling her bare stomach.

"Are you calling me easy?"

"You and easy are definitely two words that I would not use in the same sentence. You and difficult? Maybe."

She could tell he was joking. His tone was serious, but his eyes were sparkling with the gleam he saved only for her. She knew that as much as she sometimes annoyed the hell out of him, he wouldn't change her for the world. That simple thought brought butterflies to her stomach. He understood her better than anyone else ever could. For that reason, she continued to joke with him. "I'll have to remember those words when you try to seduce me tonight."

Before she knew what was happening, he had swiftly scooped her into his arms and pulled her down over his body. He nibbled softly on her lower lip. She opened her mouth to him without a second thought.

When they finally parted, Luke said, "You were saying?"

"There were words? With actual syllables and everything?" She grinned, feigning forgetfulness. "I guess that I am easy." He opened his mouth to say something, but she covered it with her hand. "I know, I know. Me and easy are like oil and water. You can't mix them. Well, you can, but it just becomes one great big mess with the oil sort of just sitting there." She took a breath before rambling on, "There was this Saved by the Bell episode, and Becky – she was a duck – got covered in oil, because there was an oil spill in her pond. That was not a pretty sight. Rory cried for a week, and I had to try to convince her that no actual duck was hurt making the episode. So I guess that oil and water do not mix."

He rolled his eyes at her. "You done with that complete nonsense?"

"Depends."

"Depends on what?" he asked her.

"Coffee," she replied slowly, sounding it out like a child. "I need some. We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious."

"You're crazy," he said, pushing her out of bed and gently nudging her towards the bathroom. "The faster you get ready for the day, the faster you can have your coffee," Luke challenged her.

After feeding Lorelai's caffeine addiction and having breakfast, they once again ambled their way around Paris.

They were walking leisurely when Lorelai suddenly had a stroke of brilliance, and she practically pulled Luke down the sidewalk. "We have to see this," she stated, stopping in front of a rather large looking house.

He was about to question her when he noticed that it was actually a museum. Still a bit confused, he followed her.

Lorelai paid a euro for each of them to be allowed into the garden. "This is great, I promise." She led them both to the large bronze statue. "It's like a piece of history right in front of us."

"I can't believe you paid to get in here. We could have probably seen it from the street," he motioned.

She sent him a sharp look, effectively silencing his rant before it came.

Feeling angry at himself, he gazed at the hunk of metal in front of him. He cast a glance at Lorelai. She was studying it intently with a look of amazement and childish thrill. He never knew her to be interested in art other than when Stars Hollow held that damn festival with all the paintings. He looked back at the work. It was vaguely familiar. He knew that he had seen it before.

As if answering his question, Lorelai said, "It's Rodin's _The Thinker_. I've seen it everywhere. I even bought Rory a little replica of it once." She stepped closer, leaving Luke's side. She stood on her tip toes, trying to get a better view. "I never realized how detailed it was."

He peered at her, surprised at her sudden knowledge of art and her stroke of uncharacteristic maturity. However, her gaze never met his, she was still staring at the statue. He turned his attention to the statue, stepping up beside her.

She continued after a few minutes of silence, "It almost looks like a real man. I wonder what he's thinking about." For the first time in minutes, her attention left _The Thinker_ and focused on him.

He had been so focused on trying to see what Lorelai saw in the statue that he almost didn't hear her. He shrugged. "Life, maybe? The future? Whatever it is, he looks lost in thought so it must be important."

Now, it was Lorelai's turn to be surprised. She searched out his hand with her own, entwining their fingers, their future suddenly making its way to the forefront of her mind. Pushing it away as quickly as it came, she took a deep breath. "I know where I want to take you next."

Guiding their way through the streets which had become thick with Parisians and tourists alike, Lorelai found what she was looking for. "We probably shouldn't have walked," she said, sitting on a bench to massage her now aching street.

"You're the one who said it wasn't far."

"It didn't look far on the map. I should have learned my lesson the first time. Rory and I walked from the Champs Elysées to the Eiffel Tower, because it didn't look far. Big mistake," she stated.

He had eased one of her shoes off her feet and was softly kneading out the tightness. She put her hand on his shoulder and gently directed his attention to the building before them.

"That, my friend, is Notre Dame. _The_ Notre Dame," she said. "Insert proper Hunchback of Notre Dame reference here."

"The book or the movie with the singing gargoyles?" he questioned her.

"The movie is a classic!" she exclaimed. "Okay, Beauty and the Beast is so much better. And don't forget Cinderella! And oh!"

Realizing that she was probably about to ramble on about the entire collection of Disney movies, Luke changed the subject. "It's huge. How did they build it? They didn't exactly have cranes back then. Those had to be some pulleys that they were using. The architecture is amazing! Look at the flying buttresses."

"There's flying butts?"

He ignored her comment. "The attention to detail, all the careful carvings! They had to have been carved by hand. I wonder what it's made of. It has to be something sturdy in order for it to have held up so long."

"Men and architecture. Can't you just look at it and be like 'pretty'?" she rolled the last word off her tongue. He shot her a glance. "Right. Saying that it is pretty wouldn't be manly."

"And the insurance costs must be colossal. Think of what it costs to pay for the damages. What with all these people trampling around like a bunch of cows everyday. Who even pays for the insurance?"

"The pope," she stated. "Well, it is a church," she reminded him after he gave her an incredulous look. "Are you done playing backseat contractor, or are you about to go on about how they got the gargoyles up there?"

"I'm done," he assured her.

"Good, because I want to go up there. I hear the view is incredible." She slipped her shoes back on. She began to tug him towards the line of tourists waiting to climb the stairs.

"I wonder how they got the gargoyles up there." He squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look at the top. "Some of them are way up there."

She laughed and shook her head.

After about an hour of waiting in line, and Lorelai teasing Luke about his continuing remarks about the architecture, they finally were climbing up the circular staircase.

"My feet hurt," Lorelai complained. "And I'm getting dizzy. Is it just me, or is it getting narrower in here? I think the stairs are getting smaller."

She was right. Luke was having trouble keeping his balance. His feet no longer fit on the tiny stairs.

"Guess those great architects forgot to put in an elevator," she uttered. Finally, the dimness in the corridor started to brighten, and they soon found themselves in the fresh outdoor air. Forgetting her aching feet, Lorelai rushed to the ledge. She pressed her face against the metal caging. She looked out across the vastness of Paris, fixing her eyes on the Eiffel Tower. "It's beautiful."

"Those gargoyles are really something," Luke noted, at last being able to see them up close.

"Luke," she groaned.

Stepping up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "It is beautiful," he agreed, whispering into her hair.

She turned slightly in his arms in order to place a kiss on his lips. "I wish this could all last forever." It was the first time either of them had brought up the fact that this was almost over. She turned back so that she was once again looking out onto the city.

When she didn't continue, Luke decided to stay silent himself. Neither one of them really wanted to discuss the inevitable.

Minutes passed, maybe more. Lorelai eventually broke the silence. "We can go up higher, or we can head back down." She completely avoided the subject that she herself had brought up.

"What are your feet telling you?" he asked, hoping that she wouldn't want to climb anymore stairs.

"That if it was possible, you should carry me down all those stairs," she suggested, already walking back into the building. "But since narrow stairways aren't suitable for that kind of behavior, I'm going to have to hobble down myself." She bounded down a few stairs, momentarily losing her balance.

Luke steadied her. "Be careful. You'll kill yourself if you're not."

"Thanks for the positive image." She took his hand. "If I go down, you're going with me."

Luckily, they made it back outside without further incident. They spent the remainder of the day aimlessly strolling around. They walked through gardens, Lorelai leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked, and enjoyed each other's company.

In the evening, the two of them found themselves walking along the Seine River where Lorelai was happily licking at the ice cream Luke had bought her. She watched as a boat full of tourists glided past. She finished the last of her ice cream and threw the remainder of the cone to a pigeon. Luke's arm was securely around her shoulders, his fingers twisting a strand of her hair between them.

The lights on the surrounding banks reflected off the water. It cast a romantic glow which her mind was having a difficult time enjoying. Her mind was going a mile a minute. They had to talk. She knew this. They both did. She just didn't know how to start the conversation. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, deciding to just dive in head first. "What's going to happen?"

"Hmm..." Luke answered absentmindedly, still savoring the comfortable atmosphere that encompassed them.

"We've avoided talking about the reality of this situation the whole time." She abruptly stopped walking and faced him. She now had his full attention. "I go back to Aix tomorrow."

"And I go back to Stars Hollow." He felt suddenly panicked. He was about to go back to a life without her. A life in which he was able to only hear her voice through a phone.

She caught his alarmed look. "You could come back with me." Her voice sounded feeble, small. She knew the answer before he even answered. Tears were already pricking at her eyes.

"You know I can't. I have to work. So do you," he reminded her, his voice remaining surprising steady though he felt like he would break down at any moment. "I'd only be in the way."

"No, you wouldn't," she whispered. The tears were getting harder and harder to hold back. She focused her gaze on the ground, intently studying her shoes. An unexpected gust of wind swept across the river, chilling the air. Lorelai wrapped her arms tightly around herself, pretending that it was only the cold air that she was protecting herself against.

"I can't, Lorelai. You know it." He put his hands on her shoulders. "I want to, believe me, I do," he added.

"Then don't go," she pleaded, knowing that it wouldn't help. He was right. They both had jobs waiting for them to return. Her eyes remained fixed on the pavement. If she looked at him, she knew that she would lose it. She tightened her grip on herself, crushing the air out of her lungs. Maybe if she couldn't breathe, she wouldn't cry.

His hand traveled to her chin, urging her to look at him.

She reluctantly met his gaze. The tears began to pour down her cheeks. She pulled away from him, frantically trying to wipe away her tears. "I'm not the kind of girl who begs her guy to stay," she admitted. "I'm being stupid. I knew that this would have to end."

"It's not over yet. We still have tonight and tomorrow morning." He finally managed to pull her back into his embrace. "What was that movie you made me watch awhile back with the Nazis and Paris?"

"Casablanca," she answered softly.

"Those two characters... what were their names? Humphrey Bogart and that woman..."

"Rick and Ilsa," she told him, unsure of why he bringing this up.

"When Rick was telling Ilsa that she needed to leave, he told her that they'd always have Paris. And so will we, Lorelai. No matter what happens in the future, we'll always have this weekend. We'll always have Paris." Luke wiped away her remaining tears with the pads of his thumbs. "No one can take that away from us. Not ever." He drew her tightly against him and placed a kiss tenderly on her lips.

She clung on to him as if her life depended on it, bunching his shirt in her fists. "We'll always have Paris," she repeated against his chest, her unsure words suffocated by his shirt.

To Be Continued. Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Thanks once again for all the reviews! You all are awesome readers. I cannot say that enough._

Lorelai sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair, waiting for her flight to board. She was snuggled in Luke's embrace, desperately wishing for time to go both faster and slower. It had taken some smooth talking on their parts, because his flight was in a completely different terminal, for him to be sitting here next to her, but they had managed it.

She was uncharacteristically silent. She hadn't said more than a few words at anytime all morning. She knew that Luke was aware that something was wrong, but he didn't say anything. He just held her close, silently comforting her. She was relieved that he was treating her this way. Anything more might break her on the spot. Her fragile heart could stop beating at any moment.

Despite the gut wrenching dread she felt, falling into bed with Luke the night before had been easy. She pushed everything else from her mind as she gave herself to him completely. Yet the cheery demeanor she put on soon fell apart. She had ended up in tears, recoiling from Luke and his gentle murmurs of reassurance. Eventually, she allowed him to hold her in his arms, felt his hand softly stroking her hair as she cried herself to sleep.

The morning had been a blur. She felt ashamed of her breakdown. Luke tried to assure her that it was fine, but she snapped at him. The hurt that appeared on his face immediately made her feel guilty, and she quickly apologized. However, she still kept him at arm's length the whole morning, almost believing that this would make it easier to say goodbye.

But she was dead wrong. As the minutes passed, her lungs seemed to constrict even more, making breathing painful. She took shallow breaths, the only thing she could manage, as her head rested against his flannel-clad chest. She felt his hand rubbing gentle circles over her hand, trying to soothe her.

She found herself growing angry at him for staying so calm. Why wasn't he more upset about leaving her? That simple fact was killing her. It made her feel like she was already alone even though he was seated right beside her. She almost tore herself from his embrace, ready to scream at him, but the thought that it would destroy their last few moments together, stopped her.

She shifted in her chair, pressing herself more firmly against him. She wanted to breathe him in, remember every curve of his body. That task wouldn't be too difficult. She had memorized every inch of his body long ago, but she was so afraid of forgetting. Forgetting the way he smelled. The way his stubble scratched against her smooth skin. The way his flannel felt against her cheek. The way she fit so perfectly into his body. Most of all, she feared forgetting Luke himself.

She heard a voice on the intercom at the gate. The time had arrived.

Luke stood up, pulling her with him. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, skimming his hand down the side of her body before bringing her in for a hug.

She held on to him tightly. Time seemed to stand still for her, but it was actually quickly ticking away. She didn't want to let him go so she remained in his embrace for several minutes before it became apparent that she had to leave. She closed her eyes and leaned in to press her lips to his. The kiss was soft and full of love. She felt her anger fading. When she broke away, she looked up at him. He had tears in his eyes. Realizing that it was just as hard for him as it was for her, any remaining anger and resentment she felt dissipated at that moment. "I love you," her voice was barely above a whisper, almost inaudible.

He managed to catch her words. Even though they were in the middle of a bustling airport, it seemed like all of his senses had zeroed in on her. "I love you too, Lorelai." He gave her one last chaste kiss. "I'll talk to you soon."

She nodded. This was it. "Goodbye, Luke" she managed to force through her lips before turning away. She felt his eyes on her as she walked through the gate, following her until she was out of sight. The words 'talk to you soon' echoing in her ears. She found herself wishing more than anything that they had been 'see you soon'.

When Lorelai returned to Aix, she threw herself into her work. She was glad that she had meetings scheduled practically back-to-back from the moment she arrived. It was easy to keep her mind off of everything when she had countless other things to keep her occupied.

The evenings were more difficult. She was alone, and her mind was left to wander. Her phone calls with Luke didn't help the situation. She found herself withdrawing from him, keeping their conversations short and sometimes impersonal. And she hated herself for doing this to him. It wasn't fair. She knew it. She knew that it hurt him, and that he was beginning to fear that he had made a mistake in coming to Paris. That he'd crossed a boundary that shouldn't have been crossed. That if he had stayed away, things would be better.

She wasn't angry with him. She could never be angry with him. That weekend meant everything to her, and she wouldn't trade it for the world. But she had received a taste of something so amazing. Something that she could no longer pretend that she hadn't really missed.

She felt herself going through the actions of living. It wasn't until she was talking with one of her coworkers that things finally became clear to her.

A lunch had been catered for the employees to celebrate a deal the Durham Group had made with some local hotels. Lorelai had piled her plate high with food and was quietly munching alone when the woman sat down across from her.

"That's a lot of food," Carrie commented. "I think my body would protest."

"It takes years of practice," Lorelai replied. Thinking that she might have sounded a bit arrogant, she smiled at the young woman. She was probably a few years younger than herself, Lorelai observed. "So... it's great that we finally closed this deal. It seemed like it was never going to happen." Small talk. She hated it, but she didn't know what else to say.

Carrie shrugged. "Yeah," she said, waving her hand nonchalantly. "I don't want to talk about work. Everyone is always talking about work."

Great, Lorelai thought. What would she talk about with this woman now?

Carrie made up her mind for her. She spoke first, "You've been here for months, and I just realized that we've never really talked. You're so quiet, so I am here to drag you out of your shell."

Quiet. Lorelai had never heard herself defined as quiet. Talkative? Yes. She had perfected the art of rambling. And what shell? Luke had told her quite a few times that she belonged in the peanut gallery, but she wasn't shy. Had she really been acting that differently since she arrived in Aix? Carrie's voiced pulled her out of her thoughts.

"I heard you went to Paris this weekend. I adore Paris. Best city in the world in my opinion. Did you like it? The first time is always quite the experience."

"I actually went there before with my daughter," Lorelai told her coworker. "Two years ago."

"Oh! A daughter? Not many people have children. It's kind of hard to be here with bundles of joy crawling around the house."

"She's in college," she stated shortly.

Sensing that her daughter was off limits, Carrie went back to the subject of Paris. "So the second time? Better or worse?"

Lorelai smiled as she remembered making love to Luke in the soft glow of the moonlight. "Better."

"I recognize that smile. Did you meet someone? I've always wanted to ride off into the sunset with my arms wrapped around a Frenchman. You're so lucky!"

She shook her head. "No. But it was definitely amazing." Lorelai didn't know why she didn't tell Carrie about Luke. It was like a secret that she wanted to keep to herself. If she opened her mouth and let the words spill out, she feared that it would lose some of its charm.

Seeming to lose interest in Paris and ready for more personal details, Carrie changed subjects. "So what's your story?"

"My story?" Lorelai asked.

"We'll start out easy. Why did you take this job?"

"It sounded like a great opportunity."

Carrie laughed. "That's, like, the by-the-book response. Take me for example. I'm here partly because the thought of it gave my parents a heart attack. Their college graduate, running off to another country, for a job that didn't even require my degree. The looks on their faces were priceless. So come on, give me the real reason." She paused for a moment and then added teasingly, "Did you want to piss off your parents as well?"

"I don't need to leave the country to do that. I just didn't want to regret not doing this. I'm only here for a trial period." She stopped abruptly, her own words lingering in her mind.

"What's stopping you from making it permanent? I couldn't imagine anything better than this job." Carrie waited a beat before asking, "Your daughter?"

Lorelai shook her head. How could she explain to this stranger, that her daughter, her best friend, wasn't even on speaking terms with her?

"Then what is it? A guy? Because believe me, he's not worth giving up all of this. No guy is worth it, Lorelai," her coworker stated wryly.

"You don't know him," she snapped. Lorelai stood up hastily. "I have to go." She heard Carrie's voice behind her, trying to apologize, but she didn't even bother to look back.

She dashed back to her hotel room, not even bothering to attend her afternoon meetings. Carrie's words had struck a chord with her. From the moment the woman stated that she was quiet, her mind went reeling.

Memories from the previous months came rushing back to her full force. She was different here. How had she never realized it? Back home, she had always surrounded herself with people that brought out her personality. Here, she had remained withdrawn and unattached. That was not like her.

She leaned against the door. She gulped for air, trying to get enough oxygen to her lungs. She suddenly felt crowded, like the walls of the room were closing in on her. She was suffocating from the stale hotel air. Making her way to the window, she forced it open. She took several deep breaths, letting the fresh air rush over her.

She slumped against the window sill, allowing herself to finally think about Luke for the first time in weeks. God, she missed him. He always brought out the best in her. She never doubted herself around him. He made her confident. Strong. But he also made her realize that she didn't have to do everything alone. It was perfectly fine to admit to being weak and needing help every now and then.

But was she willing to let herself be with him completely? Could she allow herself to give away the absolute independence to which she had become accustomed? She had never depended on anyone for anything. Above all else, she had never let herself be defined by the man she was with. But Luke was different. Wasn't he? He was more of an extension of herself. He complemented her, not defined her. Then again, was that enough?

She saw only two solutions. And in that small hotel room, the cloud that hovered constantly in her mind was finally whisked away. The answer was like a light at the end of a dark tunnel. His words 'No matter what happens in the future, we'll always have this weekend. We'll always have Paris' repeated in her mind.

She knew what had to be done.

To Be Continued. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: I want to thank you all for your wonderful feedback throughout the course of this story. I'm thrilled that so many people have enjoyed this! I also want to once again thank my fabulous betas Heather (xphilehb) and Kelsey for their encouragement and help._

Luke was furiously wiping down the counter in his diner. He had yet to hear from Lorelai, and he was beginning to take his frustrations out on the poor defenseless counter.

Not that the phone calls seemed to matter anymore. She was pulling away from him. Her voice always sounded distant and distracted. She barely shared anything with him anymore. She kept things short and aloof. She was acting like it was all his fault that she was unhappy. His biggest fear was that soon he would receive the phone call from her, the final one. It terrified him more than he was even willing to admit to himself.

Sooner or later, he was going to rub through the paint, but he didn't let up. Instead, he pressed harder with the rag, almost hoping that the paint would strip off. He didn't like having to leave her in France, but he wasn't going to beg her to leave this job. She had to decide that on her own.

He heard the bell above the door jingle. "Kirk!" he barked, not even bothering to look up. "I told you twenty minutes ago that I was closed and to stay the hell out!" He wiped the counter even more vigorously as he waited for the jingling of the bell to inform him that Kirk had slipped back out the door. He was ready to holler at him again when he heard her voice.

"What did that counter ever do to you?" she mused, laughing nervously.

His head snapped up, the rag falling from his grip. "Lorelai," he said softly, still not quite believing that she was standing in the doorway of his diner.

"Hi," she squeaked. She was twisting the strap of her purse nervously between her fingers. "Sorry that I'm not Kirk," she said lightly, trying to break the tense air in the room. She shifted her weight uneasily from one foot to the other, not letting her eyes meet his.

"Lorelai... why... what are you doing here?" he stumbled.

She fidgeted with the bottom of her shirt, a nervous action. "You said that no matter what happens, we'll always have our weekend in Paris. And it's a great memory. But Luke, I don't want to always have Paris. It's not enough for me. Not anymore." She finally allowed her blue eyes to meet his. They gave her the courage to continue. She took a deep breath. "I'm ready for an answer," she said with an air of confidence that surprised even her.

He stared at her with a confused expression. Suddenly, the meaning of her statement sunk in, and the blank look left his face.

His persistent silence began to scare her. She knew that he understood what she was talking about, yet he remained standing there. Quiet. Far away from her. She watched as he abruptly moved away from the counter and trampled up the stairs to his apartment. Lorelai felt her heart begin to break. Why hadn't he said anything? Had she messed up things that badly?

She closed her eyes against the tears that suddenly filled them. She heard him coming back down the stairs. She reopened her eyes to find him walking towards her. Before she knew what was happening, he had wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her into an embrace.

She felt his hand travel between their bodies, seeking out hers. He gently eased it from where it rested at the hem of her shirt.

"You're ready?" he asked huskily.

She nodded. "You were right, I wasn't ready before. I probably would have run from it," she admitted. "But I am ready now," she told him. Seconds later, she felt a cool piece of metal slip onto her hand that he held in his own. "I take that as a yes? Either that, or you just like buying me pretty things."

Luke kissed her in response, pressing her body firmly against his. "Definitely a yes," he murmured between kisses. He felt her tongue lightly pressing against his lips. He opened his mouth, inviting her in. Tongues dueled and hands roamed, desperately seeking to get enough of each other. When they both broke away, gasping for air, he questioned, "What about the job?"

"I still have my inn. Sookie will be thrilled to have me back."

"You loved living in France," he reminded her despite his own mind's protests.

"I did for a time. But it wasn't my home. It was never my home. A home isn't something you can just create out of the blue. It's where you can find the people you love. For the longest time, Rory was my home. My guiding star to lead my way through the dark. But then, I lost her. I was so afraid that night I came to the diner, Luke. I was more terrified than I'd ever felt before, because my own daughter left me. But there you were, ready to fix things, to help me. Everything became blatantly clear in that moment even if I was still unsure. Being away has made it that much clearer. You are my home, Luke. Rory will come back eventually, I know. But as cheesy as it sounds, you are my guiding light now."

"You've been my home for a long time, Lorelai. There were so many times that I wanted to beg for you to come back," he confessed. "But I couldn't do that to you. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't be selfish."

"That's why I love you so much, Luke. You love me enough to let me go even if it kills you."

He nodded. "I do."

She grinned mischievously. "Lucky for you that I can't live without you." She paused for a moment before adding, "And your coffee. Do you know how hard it was for me to find a decent cup of coffee in France? It was like searching for the fountain of youth. Pretty damn near impossible, buddy. I probably would have found the fountain before I found coffee as good as yours."

His arm snaked around her back. Holding his hand solidly on the small of her back, he brought her close. "Lorelai, shut up," he growled, his mouth near her ear.

"How are you planning on making me shut up?" she asked suggestively. He whispered something in her ear. "Dirty!" she exclaimed before taking off up the stairs. "Last one up is a rotten egg!" she called over her shoulder. "Luke! I seem to have lost my shirt on the way up here."

Not even bothering to lock the diner door or to turn off the lights, Luke tore up the stairs after his fiancée.

_Fin._

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